It’s my last week at the University of Edinburgh, a quiet time to reflect.

We’ve spent the last year listening to our community of practice to help us to make much needed changes to the Effective Digital Content training.

When I began learning how to test websites and apps for accessibility, it was to lend support to my unit, which needed products to have accessibility reports and statements. I was also intrigued as a user experience practitioner; if I could understand what it’s like to use assistive software to navigate a digital environment, this […]

As part of the University of Edinburgh’s broader accessibility drive, the WAC team annually run workshops in coordination with our web governance software provider, Little Forest, to support web developers and managers in utilising Little Forest tools effectively to identify areas of governance and accessibility to improve upon. In doing so, we have identified several […]

The Accessibility Drive and Little Forest Workshops As part of the University of Edinburgh’s broader accessibility drive, the WAC team annually run workshops in coordination with our web governance software provider, Little Forest, to support web developers and managers in utilising Little Forest tools effectively to identify areas of governance and accessibility to improve upon. […]

Make things open: it makes things better. We really like this design principle from gov.uk. We use it a lot, especially when it comes to iterating upon our beta Design System.

It’s essential to build accessibility into your projects from the very beginning. For our Web Publishing Platform this doesn’t just mean that the website and its content needs to be accessible but the editorial interface of the content management system itself also needs to be accessible to as many people as possible. 

As I leave the Website and Communications team after a decade’s work, here’s my final plea to you all to keep real human beings at the centre of digital publishing.

Introduction and Updates As we’ve reached the September accessibility deadline, I’d like to look back on the progress that’s been made in making the University’s web estate a more accessible, inclusive space and service for all of our users.   With almost 1500 sites hosted by and affiliated with the University of Edinburgh, it would […]

What is Heading Structure and why is it important for web accessibility?   Designing websites with sound heading structure in mind is critical to making your websites are truly accessible, as websites with good heading structure make it easier for screen readers to successfully and quickly navigate pages to find relevant information.   As much […]